Flight of Destiny
by kah-jeer-stin
Summary: After Zuko and Katara's mission to avenge Katara's mother, Katara finds it much easier to forgive Zuko for his past wrongs, but can she forgive herself for her prejudice towards him? And why does she feel a rapidly growing sense of affection for him?
1. Guilt

**I'm not really a Zutara fan and I never believed Zutara had a chance, but this is the one part in the whole series where Zutara was the strongest, so I thought I'd write what could've happened if they took this part a little farther. oh! and this is my first fanfic, so please be kind in your comments :)  
**

**Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own Avatar**

As Katara and Zuko flew home from that horrible place they found the murderous creature who took her mother's life, Katara felt a huge burden lifted off her shoulders. It turned out Aang had been right all along. Killing really isn't her thing, and she hoped it would never have to be, no matter how disgusting and evil the person may be. It was not her place to be the judge and executioner. That slimy maggot would get what's coming to him when this war is finally over. Katara took comfort in that.

Zuko landed Appa on the island they've been hiding out on for the past few weeks and Katara jumped off. She left Zuko and Appa in the large clearing they landed in, and walked off by herself to the beach. She loved the beach, not just because it was full of water, but because it was a good place to think. She found a comfortable spot in the sand and sat. She hugged her legs and thought about how she had almost done it. She had it within her power to end that man's life, and she didn't. She tried to convince herself it was the right thing to do, and also couldn't stop thinking about how the world would be better off if she only had the backbone to do it. She was so lost and confused.

After a while, everybody came to find her sitting all by her lonesome. They stood behind her not knowing what to say. Katara sensed they were waiting for her to speak first, so she said what was on her mind. "I was there. I looked into his eyes, and I wanted more than anything to do it, but I couldn't." She frowned. "I don't know if it's because I'm too weak or because I'm strong enough not to, or…" she trailed off not knowing what to say next.

"You're not weak, Katara," said Aang, "You found it within yourself to forgive him and that's the hardest thing to do."

"But that's just it," she replied, "I didn't forgive him. I will never forgive him." She stood up and faced the gang; the people she considered her family. Then she turned to Zuko, the one she had taken all her hate out on. The one who had put up with her despite her horrible attitude towards him and even went to extra mile to ease her suffering. "But I am ready to forgive you." And with a quick motion, she wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace. Zuko hugged her back with a tenderness Katara never knew he was capable of.

***

After Katara had apologized to everyone for being so reckless and blinded by her own rage and for putting everyone in danger, she found herself being overwhelmed by what could've happened if that whole thing went wrong. If they had been captured, Aang would probably come looking for them and perhaps even be captured himself. Zuko would be turned over to his father and imprisoned for life or maybe even executed. And with the Avatar in chains, and Sozin's Comet's arrival, the Fire Nation would then be unstoppable. She couldn't believe she could be so reckless.

She couldn't bear to be around and look at the sources of her guilt any longer. Just looking at the people she loved and what she could've done to them was too much. She waited for everyone to be distracted with other things, and then she ran to where no one would find her. To the only place on this island she felt secluded and alone, because that's just what she deserved to be. Alone.

The island was a pretty good size. Large enough so that if she wanted to hide and not easily be found, she could. There was a section of the shore that was made of cliffs about a hundred feet high. At the bottom of these, there were a series of caves created be the erosion of the water constantly beating on the cliff walls. Most of the caves were too small to accommodate a person, but there was one in particular that was. She discovered it when she was practicing her water bending. It was a lucky find because its entrance was always covered with water except at very low tide. She was pleased to see that it was still covered. She bended a path through the roaring waves opening the entrance for her and her alone. No one else would be able to get in except Aang, but he would have to find it first, and she was the only one aware the cave's existence.

After clearing the water from the entrance, she then had to crawl up into it for about 6 feet, and then the cave curved downward again where it collected water like a bowl. There was a higher ledge on the cave walls that acted as sort of a walkway. Kind of like the side walk on the edge of a swimming pool. It was the perfect secluded area for a water bender. As soon as Katara released the waves and allowed them to crash back against the entrance, the entrance flooded, separating her from the outside world.

There was very little light in the cave; just a faint blue glow from the entrance, but not nearly enough light to see her hand in front of her face. The natural swimming pool was calling to her, so she started to undress. She removed all the black she wore to the Fire Nation, and decided to remove her under garments as well. Now there was nothing between her and her precious water. She dove right in only to be shocked at how freezing the water was. She thought about it and concluded that water sitting in a dark cave with no access to sunlight would have no way of heating up. After sitting in the water for several minutes, she slowly got used to it.

Finally she felt right at home, surrounded with water in the dark with no connection to the outside world. That horrible murderer had said that he killed her mother for claiming to be the water bender and taking Katara's place. She wondered if that monster would have killed so quickly if he discovered it had really been a little girl he was looking for.

Katara bended a small stream from the pool and coated her hand with it. If her mother had died to protect her and her ability, then using it for good would be the best way to honor her mother's memory. Suddenly Katara remembered the reason she came here. She had abused her ability and used it for revenge. She also put everyone in danger by doing so. And she was so selfish and hateful, she unleashed all her anger and bitterness on Zuko simply because he was Fire Nation. All the guilt and shame overwhelmed her and she wept. She could hear her tears splashing in and soiling the perfect pool that was her sanctuary.

**Okay, I know there's next to no romance in it, and it's really depressing, but I promise it will get better in the next chapter. Please comment!**


	2. Friendship and Possibly More

**Ok here you go guys! The second chapter! Let me know if you spot any spelling and grammar mistakes. I did the best I could but sometimes I miss a few things. **

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Avatar  
**

Zuko finished his second helping of fish and wild nuts. He was tired of eating the same thing every day. But he did choose this life, and in doing so, he also chose to eat dirt until this war was over.

He started thinking about Katara. When she hugged him, he almost couldn't believe it. The girl, who had hated his guts ever since he betrayed everyone at Ba Sin Se, had finally forgiven him…and hugged him! After she let go and went to apologize to everyone else, he had to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. He finally got on Katara's good side, and the best part was that he earned it. In Ba Sin Se, he had used the memory of his mother to manipulate her into liking him, and he was ashamed of it. But this time was different. It's much easier to earn a person's trust than to earn _back_ a person's trust, and that's just what he did. And now he finally felt like he truly belonged now that every member of the group had accepted him as family.

Sokka interrupted his thoughts. "Has anyone seen Katara? She's been gone for hours."

"I haven't seen her since she got back," said Aang.

"She's probably still upset about our mission," said Zuko, "she probably went off by herself."

Sokka frowned and thought for a minute, then shook his head. "We should go look for her. It isn't like Katara to go off by herself for this long without telling anyone where she's going."

"I'll circle the island from the air real quick," said Aang. He ran to grab his glider and immediately took off. For about ten minutes, the group waited. When Aang finally returned, he said, "There's no sign of her anywhere on the shore or in the meadows. That's where she usually goes."

"This doesn't feel right," said Sokka, "we should split up and look for her. Suki, you search the north shore. Toff, you search the meadow where you can see the best. Aang, search the southern shore. I'll search the eastern shore, and Zuko, you search the cliffs on the western shore."

The gang split up, and Zuko took off toward the cliffs. It was getting dark, so he lit a small fire in his palm to use as a torch. Then something caught his eye: foot prints. They were obviously made by the moccasins water tribe people wear. Immediately he knew he was on the right track and was about to call to Sokka and tell him which way she went. Then he thought better of it. If Katara was upset and wanted to be alone like he thought, she wouldn't want a multitude of people intruding on her seclusion. He knew he wouldn't want that. So he started on the trail alone.

The trail led him to the thin beach at the base of the cliffs. Normally the beach was covered with water, but the tide was low, which allowed him to walk right beside the cliffs. He knew there were caves all along this cliff side, but was pretty sure none of them were suitable to hide in for hours at a time. If he was Katara, he would choose a more comfortable place than that. Then something caught his eye. Perhaps the opening to another cave? He went to investigate. It was a hole about 3 feet in diameter that went up into the cliff. The hole looked big enough for a person to crawl into. He wondered why he never noticed this before. Then he realized he'd never been down here during low tide therefore the entrance would be concealed by water and making it difficult for someone like him to get into except during low tide. A water bender, however, could easily enter such a cave at any tide.

He looked up the hole and saw that it opened up into a much larger pocket. Careful not to use the hand holding the flame, he crawled up inside. There he found the pocket opened up into a cave about twelve feet high and twenty feet wide. The high tide left a pool of water in the bottom of the pocket like a pool and in the middle of the pool was Katara neck deep in water with her back to him.

"Go away, Aang. I don't want to hear any elongated speeches about forgiveness," she said.

"It's me, Zuko."

She turned around with a start. She pulled her eye brows together in a look of confusion. Zuko noticed right away her bare collar bones. With a quick scan of the cave he saw her clothes piled up on the ledge next to cave wall. Zuko felt his cheeks turn red and looked away.

"How did you find me?" she asked.

"The tide is low, so I saw the cave, and I knew only a water bender could get in here when the tide is high." Zuko replied. With a quick glance at the cave entrance, Katara saw that water was no longer blocking it. With a sigh, she turned her back to him again and sank further into the pool.

"You have everyone pretty worried; disappearing like that and telling no one where you went." Zuko admonished.

"I don't deserve to be with them," she said.

Surprise overwhelmed Zuko. Why would she say such a thing? If anyone didn't deserve to be here, it was him. He was the Fire Lord's son. He was the one who kept them on the run for a year. He was the one who caused them so much hardship. However, she was the most caring person in the group. She was the one who never wanted to see her friends in any danger. How could she possibly justify saying such a thing?

Zuko shook his head. "That's not true and you know it."

"Let's face it, Zuko. I willingly put you and every one in danger, and for what? Revenge? Or just plain stupidity and recklessness. I think you guys will be better off without me."

So this is what she was thinking about this whole time. What would Uncle say? "Katara, nobody's perfect. Believe me; I know people make horrible mistakes that you can't take back. But look on the bright side. Nobody was hurt. Nobody was captured or put in danger. We were lucky. It's pointless to beat yourself up over what could have gone wrong because nothing _did_ go wrong."

She appeared unconvinced, so Zuko thought harder. "One thing I know for sure is that destiny put you here for a reason. Think of all the good you've done. You released Aang from the iceberg and brought hope back into the world. You've saved everyone from death countless times. You saved Aang from Azula. And you saved me by not killing me when I first joined the group."

She choked out a laugh at that. Zuko smiled. "I guess the truth is, we all make mistakes, but we can't undo them. All we can do is make sure we learn from them and look to the future with high hopes."

Katara wiped her face and turned to face him. She had to admit, he was pretty good at this. She guessed his uncle's wisdom rubbed off on him over the years. Smiling at him, she said, "Thank you, Zuko." He smiled back, his smile illuminated by his hand, and she realized that she had seen him smile only a couple times before. She suddenly noticed how tender and sweet his face looked when he smiled. She found herself thinking she'd do anything to see that smile more often. What? Where did that come from? She wrinkled her nose and shook her head.

Zuko smiled that irresistible smile again. "What?"

"Oh, nothing," she replied.

His gaze then shifted to the ceiling, and he blushed. What's his problem now? "So….you ready to put your clothes back on and come back?"

Until then, Katara completely forgot that she was naked and instantly sunk as far into the water as she could. "Um, yeah I think so." He just stood there holding his palm flame. "Um…would you mind turning around?"

"Oh! Sorry, yeah…" He jerked around to face the wall and covered his eyes with his free hand.

Slowly and cautiously, Katara crept to the edge of the pool. "No peeking." Zuko shook his head and let out a sound of annoyance. She couldn't see his eyes, but she knew he was probably rolling them. As fast as she could, she got out of the pool, bent all the water out of her hair and off her body, and put her clothes back on. "Okay, you can look now."

Zuko turned around and, with his free hand, gestured for her to come with him. "Come on. Let's show everyone you're okay." Blushing, Katara took his hand and allowed him to lead her out of the cave. The tide had risen enough to put them in ankle deep water so Katara bent them a dry path to higher ground.

As they walked back to camp, Katara couldn't help but notice how safe and comfortable it felt to be at his side. "I gotta say, Zuko, you're pretty good with the whole advise thing."

"Well," he replied, "bad jokes and tea making skills aren't the only things I've learned from Uncle over the years." Then he smiled at her again, and she felt herself melting. But she didn't understand it. Just a few days ago, the idea of walking with Zuko alongside a beach would be absolutely out of the question. But now, she was glad for his company. It was a break from Aang's overwhelming energy and enthusiasm over life and from Sokka's dumb jokes and overall brotherly annoyance; not to mention Toff's tough love attitude. No, Zuko was different. When he wasn't mad, he was actually very comforting to be with, and, she was shocked to realize, the one she preferred to be with at times like these. Had their friendship grown so fast in only a day? Or was it even just a friendship anymore? She couldn't believe she considered the possibility, and yet, she couldn't get the idea out of her head.

**Ok I told you it would get a little better! Just so you know, I'm almost done with the third chapter, it just needs a little more tweaking. Let me know if there's anything you would like to see in the next chapter and I'll see if I can fit it in. PLEASE COMMENT!**


	3. Excuses Excuses

**Here it is guys, the third chapter! I apologize if it's a little out of character in places. I hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own avatar  
**

Zuko sat on the beach and watched as the sun steadily sank down the horizon almost as if it were slowly being submerged into the sea. Watching the sunset was one of Zuko's favorite things to do, but he found himself unable to appreciate it today. He just couldn't get a certain water bender off his mind. He hadn't meant for that time in the cave to be anymore than just a friend comforting a friend, but somehow it felt that way.

Last night he barely slept a wink and all day he couldn't concentrate on anything and every time Katara walked by him or talked to him, his heart would race and he found himself at a loss for words.

_This is all Katara's fault, _he thought. _If she only had clothes on when she decided to take a dip in the pool, my mind wouldn't be so frazzled. _He fed himself this excuse, but knew it was wrong. She went in that cave with the mindset that she would be there alone, so therefore could go skinny dipping if she wanted to. There was nothing wrong with that. No, the fault was all his. He should know better than to let his mind wander to places it shouldn't.

But he couldn't help himself! His mind wandered from her sleek collarbones, to her beautifully sculpted neck to her face. _Her face._ With all the anger and prejudice towards him erased from it, he now saw how beautiful that face was. When she thanked him…and smiled at him…_She smiled at me._ That was a first. _And hopefully not the last._ Her smile was the most contagious thing he ever encountered. When she smiled at him, he couldn't help but return it. Now he could finally see why Aang liked her so much.

_Aang! _He slapped his forehead. How could he be so stupid! Letting his mind fantasize about a girl who belonged to someone else. _Stop it, Zuko, you're only hurting yourself. _He tried to think of the ocean, but a big help that was. The rich blue color of it only reminded him of Katara's eyes….and how bright and dazzling they were when she finally smiled at him.

He sighed in defeat and doodled in the sand with a twig. It was hopeless. He had feelings for Katara and there was no point in denying it. But such feelings couldn't have sprouted over night. He supposed that somewhere along the line, he was trying so hard to please her and to earn her trust, he let his guard down, and allowed love to move in and ambush him in times like these.

But it would never work! For one, he was fire nation and she was water tribe. Complete opposites! He couldn't possibly ask her to give up her family and her home to be with him half way across the world. For two, she already belonged to Aang, and getting on the Avatar's bad side was not a good idea. And three….he didn't deserve her. She was the most compassionate person he'd ever met other than Uncle. She was the kind of person who would lay down her life for her friends without thinking twice about it. Maybe even for him. No, he definitely didn't deserve a girl like that.

So what could he do? _Just suck it up and live with it._ He sighed. What else could he do? Yes, it would be the hardest things to do, but he _did_ bring this upon himself. He would just have to live with the mistake of allowing himself to want something he couldn't have…and hopefully never make that mistake again. _Congratulations, Zuko, you found a way to make your life even more miserable than it was._

He heard a twig snap and he jerked around, his heart beating in double time. "Who's there?" he shouted almost angrily. He hated being snuck up on. Out from behind a small group of bushes crept Katara. _Oh great, _he thought, _just when I thought I was making progress, here comes the source of my misery. _But he still couldn't help but feel happy to see her. _Darn it, Katara, stop being so loveable! It was much easier when you hated me._

"I saw you sitting here all by yourself and thought you would like some company," she said. Then she smiled. Zuko felt his heart melt into a puddle and dribble into his toes.

"Thanks," he replied, "but I don't need any company," he said coldly. He turned his head away, allowing his hair to fall in his face and hide hers from view. She deserved a better response than that, but he was still mad at her for messing with his heart strings like this. He was mad at her, and happy to see her. Was he going crazy?

Instead of stomping off in a huff like he expected her to, she came and sat next to him. _Is she deaf? Didn't I just tell her to get lost? Wow I love the way she cares enough to not listen to me. _

"You know, if something's wrong, you can always talk to any one of us about it," she said.

Zuko looked at her, no almost glared at her. "Nothing's wrong," he said almost coldly.

She laughed. The sound was so unexpected that Zuko raised his eye brows in surprise. "Come on, Zuko, you're a horrible liar," and she smiled at him again. Once again, Zuko found it impossible to resist returning the gesture.

"Yeah I know," he replied. She looked at him expectantly. Zuko sighed and shrugged. She wasn't going to give up was she? He decided to spill and get it over with. "Remember when you told me that you didn't deserve to be in the group?" She nodded. "Well, it got me thinking that if anyone didn't deserve to be here, it's me. I don't deserve to be the one who travels with the Avatar. I don't deserve all the kindness you guys have shown me. And I don't deserve a…..friend….like you." There, that was the truth wasn't it? It was half the truth anyway.

She smiled again and shook her head. _Does she have to keep doing that? It's hard enough to resist her as it is. _"Zuko, do we really need to have this discussion? Didn't you just tell me that the past shouldn't control our actions and attitude toward the future? Maybe you should try listening to your own advice." Zuko adjusted his position, but didn't reply. It was silent for a moment, and then she continued, "To be honest, I don't think anyone truly deserves love and friendship. But the best part is neither one is something anyone can earn. It's given as a gift."

Zuko looked at her and found she had her most loving and caring smile on. He looked into her eyes and almost felt the tenderness and understanding they harbored. "You're not so bad at this advice thing yourself," he said.

She shrugged, still smiling, "I learned it from a friend." Zuko was glad he was sitting down, otherwise he thought his knees would give out. A comfortable silence filled the air. Katara shifted her gaze towards the waves and the sinking sun. As for Zuko, he couldn't take his eyes off her. "The moon is rising," she commented.

Zuko tore his eyes off her and looked at the golden sky. The sun had sunk half way into the horizon while simultaneously the moon started its ascent. "Yeah," he looked back at her, "this is the only time you see the moon and the sun side by side."

She looked back at him to discover that he was intently staring at her. Almost as if he was studying her. After being caught staring, she half expected him to quickly turn away, but he didn't. Strange enough she couldn't keep herself from doing the same. There was something in his face she had never seen before. Was it companionship? Caring? No…it was more than that…there was a fire in his eyes, sort of a warm and cuddly fire, but still a fire.

He shifted his gaze to her mouth. _Uh oh, is he going to kiss me? _Her first instinct should have been to get up and say she had better get back to camp, but she just couldn't make herself do it. She was frozen. Was she really going to let him kiss her? He put one hand on the ground for support as he started moving closer. Katara swallowed nervously, but still didn't move. She was going to let him do it. What she out of her mind? Her heart stopped, and then started up again in double time as the gap between their faces slowly shrank.

"Hey Katara!" shouted Aang, as he suddenly appeared from behind the bushes. Both she and Zuko jumped back into their original positions and both turned bright red. Aang seemed to have sensed that he interrupted something.

"What is it, Aang?" asked Katara, her face still bright red. She wished she could melt into a little puddle and sink into the sand.

"Um….I was just wondering if you wanted to uh…if you've seen Momo anywhere," he replied obviously embarrassed.

"Oh okay," she replied, unable to look him in the eye," I know he likes to play in the tide pools down by the cliffs, why don't you check there," she instructed.

"Okay," said Aang, his face falling further and further into obvious disappointment and pain, "Thanks." He walked back through the bushes, almost moping.

Zuko and Katara looked at each other again and there was silence. This time it was a very awkward silence. Katara spoke first. "Uh…I guess I uh…better get back to the….the uh….." she couldn't make herself speak clearly.

"To camp," he finished her sentence, "Yeah I'd better get back too, it's getting late." They continued to stare at each other and neither one moved.

Katara finally broke herself out of her trance and stood up, "Yeah it's getting late, I should uh…probably be getting back….yeah." She knew how stupid she sounded, but couldn't fabricate anything else to say.

"You said that already," Zuko commented.

"I did? Oh yeah, I guess I did," she turned herself in the right direction, "Well…here I go," she concluded, and forced herself to walk back to camp. _Dumb, dumb, DUMB! _she scolded herself.

Zuko remained rooted to the spot. He forgot how to use his legs. He couldn't believe what he almost did. It was as if his body was thinking for itself. There was no logic or reason to what he was doing, but he couldn't stop himself. And why did Aang have to be the one to stop it?! Anyone else would have been better! _Congratulations, Zuko, you now found a way to make yourself and everyone else more miserable than you've ever been. _

**There you go! I hope you liked it, and I wonder how many of you are really annoyed with Aang right now. He always has to spoil everything doesn't he?!**

**The fourth chapter is about half done...no prolly closer to a third done. So don't expect an update as quick as the last two. Please comment!  
**


	4. Moving On

**Ok, I know this isn't what most you guys want to read, but one of my pet peaves is when people ship Zuko and Katara together and kinda pretend that Aang doesn't like Katara at all or pretend he doesn't exist. So I wrote this chapter for Aang. I figured that even though he got on everyone's nerves in the last chapter, he desearved to be able to show how hurt he is. After all, Aang is a person with feelings too isn't he? Ok I'll stop arguing with myself and let you read. :P  
**

**Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own Avatar  
**

As Momo played in the tide pools, Aang watched the sun disappear into the ocean. Every other minute or so, Momo would try to win Aang's attention with some cute gesture or trick, but Aang's mind was elsewhere.

After he practically walked in on Zuko and Katara, he could feel his heart break. 'Heart ache' turned out to be an accurate description because he felt a throbbing pain in his chest every time his heart pumped blood through his veins. After catching them, he didn't know what to do. He couldn't go with his original plan which was asking Katara to go flying with him. He had never been more humiliated in all his life.

He finally decided to go find Momo, like he said he would in his lame fabricated excuse for disturbing them. On the way, he passed Sokka and Suki cuddling by the camp fire. He could barely stomach the sight of them. It was like there was a monster in his gut that clawed and tore at his insides. _Seriously! Why don't they just get a room?!_ They seemed oblivious to his disgust which only served to worsen his frustration and provide further incentive for the monster to continue ripping his insides apart. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him and nearly flew to the tide pools. Now here he was; just him and his pain. And Momo.

He felt a huge disappointment, hurt, and betrayed. At the invasion, Aang kissed Katara just in case he never saw her again, but also to lay his claim to her. By kissing her, he had hoped to distract her from all other guys by letting her know how he felt about her. But it didn't work.

How could Zuko be so inconsiderate? Wasn't it obvious enough that Aang liked Katara? Who did he think we was, barging into the group and stealing his girl right from under his nose? And what about Katara? Didn't she know how this would make him feel? Aang had shown Zuko nothing but kindness and acceptance since he joined them, and this is how Zuko thanked him for his charity. Yes, betrayal was definitely what he was feeling the strongest.

The monster inside him seemed to growl in anger. He didn't understand it. Katara _hated_ Zuko only a few days ago. Aang found himself defending Zuko against Katara's unjustified hate multiple times. Now he wished more than anything that he never bothered. Now he felt that Zuko deserved every last insult, dirty look, and every little bruise he ever got from Katara a thousand times over. He wished he never let Zuko join their group. No, he wished Zuko had never been born! He wished _he _had never been born! He wished he never met Katara and he wished he was still stuck in that stupid iceberg!

Something must've happened on their little mission that brought this on. What were they doing the whole time anyway? Kissing and making googly eyes at each other? Maybe there was no mission. Maybe it was just a way of being alone together without anyone knowing about it. It was Zuko who found Katara after she went off by herself. _He _was the one who knew just where to find her, because that was probably where they always went to be alone together when no one was paying attention. Aang couldn't believe he didn't see the signs sooner. The monster continued to tear is insides to ribbons and he wanted to scream.

He felt Momo climb on his leg. The lemur looked at him expectantly and clicked. Aang wanted to shout at him for interrupting his black mood swing, but immediately felt guilty for considering doing so to an innocent animal. He sighed and started to pet him. "You're not the only one who feels ignored around here." The lemur clicked at him again. "Yeah I know. It's hard when the people you love most don't seem to care about you too."

"Sounds like someone's got a major case of blind self pity."

Aang jumped and Momo cocked his head. He studied the lemur for anything out of the ordinary. "What did you just say?" he asked.

"Stop talking to the lemur, stupid, I'm right here," said Toph, "and I think you heard me just fine."

Aang jumped again and looked around him to discover Toph standing several feet behind him. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to get tired of all the sulking." She walked up and sat by him. Her unseeing eyes looked in his direction, but not at his face.

_Well that's just great, _he thought, _just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, here comes Toph to tell me to suck it up and get over it._

"Look, Aang," she started, "the universe isn't always going to hand us what we want on a silver platter. I know how you feel. It sucks. But we have to learn to accept it. "

Yeah, that's exactly what he expected her to say. His internal demon roared in frustration, and he couldn't stop himself from shouting at her. "Well what you do you know about it?! NOTHING! Your life is perfect! You've gotten everything you've ever wanted your whole life! What gives you the right to say you know how I feel?!" He raised his fists and a violent gush of air shot out of his mouth as he screamed at her nearly blowing her over. Momo scurried away and hid behind the closest rock.

Toph stomped her foot and Aang was surprised to suddenly be shot five feet in the air by the ground he was sitting on a just a moment ago. He landed awkwardly on his back with his head between his knees. "Will you stop blowing me off the cliff and listen to me?!" she shouted. Aang grumbled. "Good. Now as I was saying, I know you like Katara. I may be blind, but I'm not _blind._ And I know that she's getting a thing for Zuko. They both have been acting twitter-paited all day. So I see the reason why you're up here having a pity party."

Aang blew a gust of wind through his nose in frustration. "Great! You know! You've figured it out. You're a genius! Now go away and leave me alone!"

Toph raised her arms for emphasis. "Seriously, Aang! Will you act your age and hear me out?" Aang was silent, so she continued. "Ok, Aang, how long have you liked Katara? Pretty much since the first day you saw her. Ok, now ask yourself this. Why do you like her?"

Aang thought about it, "She's beautiful, smart, talented, kind, caring-"

"Yeah yeah," Toph interrupted, "now tell me what you don't like about her."

Aang thought long and hard. "I can't come up with anything."

"That's the problem," said Toph, "You've been in love with her for so long, you see her as _the_ perfect girl for you and you can't see that, like all girls, she has flaws. You don't see Katara for who she really is. The Katara you think you know is nothing but a fantasy that you've been holding onto for way too long."

Aang wanted nothing more than for her to be wrong, but he knew she was right. Therefore defending himself would be futile. Toph continued, "Think about it. Being in love _with_ something requires at least two people doing the loving because that's basically the definition of the word 'with'. So you were never in love _with _her. It was more like you were in love _at_ her. And you were so blinded by that love that you couldn't see that she didn't feel the same way."

Aang hugged his legs and rested his chin on his knees, but still said nothing. He had been so preoccupied with his thoughts that hadn't noticed that the sun had set and the stars were coming out. He watched Momo try to catch something in a tide pool as Toph continued with her speech. "I know you must feel like there's not a soul on earth who cares about you, but I'm here to tell you there is. Sokka, Suki, and I care about you! Even Katara cares about you, just not in the way you want her to. And yes, Zuko cares about you too. Why else would he give up everything, his title, his reputation, his whole life to come and teach you fire bending? "

Aang never considered that before. Zuko had everything he ever wanted back. His father's love and acceptance, his respect. And now he was a wanted traitor despised by his own people. If Zuko no longer had the respect of his people, then the least Aang could do would be to offer him his. His stomach turned at the thought, but he knew Toph was right. Zuko did deserve his respect.

"I hate to admit it, Toph, but you have some really good points," said Aang.

Toph nodded, "I knew you'd see it my way, Twinkle Toes." She affectionately punched him in the shoulder. Aang winced but couldn't help but smile.

"I'm sorry I got so angry with you," he said.

"Don't mention it, Twinkle Toes," said Toph, "I got even with you by kicking your butt up in the air." Aang grinned and rubbed his sore backside.

A thought just occurred to him. "By the way, what made you come out to find me? I could've been out practicing my fire bending or something."

Toph shrugged. "Sokka and Suki said you took off running and you looked pretty upset."

"Ok," said Aang still a little puzzled, "then why didn't one of them come after me?"

Toph scratched the back of her head and tilted her head up toward the stars. "Well, we kinda sorta drew straws to see who would be the one to go after you." She laughed nervously.

Aang waited for her to continue. "…….And?"

"And," continued Toph, "I lost."

Aang laughed despite himself and Toph soon joined in. Although he seldom admitted it to himself, he was grateful for Toph's friendship, and her seemingly endless wisdom never ceased to surprise him. After considering what Zuko had been through and taking a walk in his shoes, Aang then knew what he had to do.

**Ok I hope you guys liked the ending for this chapter. It made me giggle while writing it. :P I plan on making the next chapter pretty short so it won't take long for another update...hopefully. please comment!**


	5. Take Good Care of Her

**Almost finished guys! one chapter to go! There was originally going to be two more chapters but after reading what I had planned for chapter 6, I found it to be so lame and unnecessary, that I decided to just plain skip it. Believe me, if I had written it, you'd thank me for deciding to leave it out...if that makes any sense...But enough senseless talk! It's reading time!**

**PS: thank you all for your lovely comments! You guys are the reason I stay up late writing these chapters even though they're painful to write in places :)**

**Disclaimer: Avatar does not belong to me...and sadly never will  
**

Katara lied awake on her sleeping bag in the lonely confines of her tent. She tried everything to fall asleep; counting koala sheep, counting backwards from a thousand, but nothing worked. She finally gave up, kicked off the covers, and exited the tent. There was only one way to settle the matter that weighed heavy on her mind. Her heart raced as she made her way toward Zuko's tent.

***

Like Katara, Zuko also found sleep evasive. He'd been lying awake for hours, unable to get Katara off his mind. Every time he closed his eyes, all he saw was her face. Her deep blue eyes that seemed to be able to see right through him. He saw those eyes…half lidded, preparing for the kiss that never came. Why, why, _why_ did he almost kiss her after coming up with a million reasons why he shouldn't? Uncle always said it wasn't his nature to think things through and now he was suffering the consequences.

And at the same time, he couldn't help but imagine what really kissing Katara would have felt like. The only person he had ever really kissed was Mai. He didn't count Jin, from Ba Sin Se, because she kissed him, but he couldn't make himself kiss her back. Mai's kisses always struck him as aggressive and maybe even a bit lustful. It felt like Mai kissed simply because she liked to kiss and for no other reason. Her kisses seemed so empty to him now.

But Katara was so full of emotion and passion, so the complete opposite of Mai, he imagined her kisses being so full of life and tenderness that his heart ached thinking about it. He saw Katara as the kind of girl who treasured every kiss and gave a part of herself to the person she kissed every time she kissed them. Each kiss she gave away would be a personal gift of love from her heart to the other. Unlike Mai, a kiss was definitely not something Katara took lightly. And yet, she didn't stop him from moving in to take one for himself. And if it wasn't for Aang, he would have taken it.

Thoughts of Aang flooded his mind. He wondered how many of Katara's kisses _he_ had taken and how many she intended for him to have...if any. Oh no…was he jealous? _No! I can't be. This can't be happening! _He rolled over and buried his face in his pillow. Uncle always said there was no point in lying to yourself. Why was there any point in being jealous anyway? Katara probably didn't feel the same way. The only reason she would have let him kiss her was probably because she was too polite not to. There was no reason for him to be having this childish mood swing. He wanted to yell into his pillow, but, afraid that someone would hear, punched it instead. Why did girls have to be so infuriating?

After he calmed himself, he rolled over and stared at his tent ceiling. Then and there he made up his mind. He would not pursue his attraction towards Katara. It was way too taxing on his emotional health. And besides, he saw how upset Aang had been after he saw what Zuko almost did. He was supposed to be helping Aang, not making his life miserable. He could imagine how seeing them made Aang feel. Zuko sighed. Aang probably felt how Zuko would feel if he caught Katara kissing him.

Zuko heard footsteps coming towards him. Pushing all his thoughts aside, he sat up and prepared to greet whoever found it appropriate to disturb him in the middle of the night. In walked the person he least expected to see.

Aang walked in and sat cross-legged at the end of Zuko's sleeping bag. "I'm sorry if I woke you," he said, "but I have to get something off my chest."

Zuko was silent for a moment, still recovering from surprise. "You didn't wake me," he finally managed to choke out.

Aang seemed to ignore him. His expression was so solemn that it made him look years older. _This is going to be about Katara isn't it_? Zuko's stomach twisted with apprehension for what was to come. "I need to know. Do you have feelings for Katara?"

"I…" The air bender's eyes bored into Zuko's with such force that Zuko couldn't bear to meet them and looked away. "No. I don't have feelings for her." He stared at the ground for a moment before looking up again only to discover he was still trapped in Aang's iron gaze.

"Forgive me if I don't take your word for it after what I saw today," said Aang. "But it doesn't matter if you admit it or not." He took a deep breath as if to force himself to stay calm. "I came here to tell you that I know how much you gave up to join us and teach me fire bending. I also came here to tell you that I respect you for that." Aang took another deep breath and closed his eyes. "I respect you enough not to interfere with you and Katara if she returns your feelings."

Zuko's heart raced and he felt as if a huge burden had been lifted. No matter how much he wanted to deny it, this was exactly what he wanted to hear. Aang raised a finger. "However," he continued, "be forewarned. If you _ever_ harm her, break her heart or hurt her in _any_ way," he paused for emphasis, "you'll have _me_ to answer to." He ended on a note that sounded final.

Zuko didn't know what to say. What could he say to something like that? Thank you? _No, that would be admitting that he's right about my feelings for Katara._ He may have turned his life around and joined the good side, but he still had his pride. Instead he settled for bowing in the traditional fire nation way of showing respect and said, "Thank you, Aang, for coming to me and telling me about this yourself. It means a lot to me." _There, that wasn't admitting anything. It was simply thanking him for handling this like an adult. _Aang nodded and, although grudgingly, returned the bow, and then left the tent. At times like these, it was hard for Zuko to believe Aang was only twelve years old. The kid had the wisdom and understanding of someone much older than he was.

Now there was no way Zuko was ever going to get any sleep. No matter what he did to distract himself, his mind kept racing back to Katara, and the thought that Aang had just given him the freedom to do what he wanted without fear. With a sudden intoxicating boost of confidence, Zuko got out of bed and walked out into the night. Katara's tent wasn't too far, but far enough away so there was no way she could have over heard the conversation that just took place.

Very slowly and carefully Zuko tip-toed over to it so as not to disturb anyone else from sleep. He hoped she was still awake. It would be a major blow to his newly found confidence if she were able to sleep better than him. He finally reached the entrance and opened one of the flaps.

"Katara?" he softly called inside, "are you awake?" No answer. He lit a small fire in his palm in order to better see inside the tent. It was empty. Zuko nearly panicked until he saw that Katara had left a note scribbled on a scrap of paper on her pillow. Zuko picked it up and read:

_Took Appa for a late-night flight. Don't worry. Be back soon._

_ Katara_

Zuko smiled in relief and went outside to scan the sky. Sure enough he spotted a small white blob barely visible in the moonlight that was unmistakably Appa circling the island. He wasn't going to let this injure his newly acquired confidence so easily. He went to find a shadowy place from where he still had a clear view of the sky, and waited.

**I know what you're thinking. Wasn't Katara gonna go to Zuko's tent? Aang still finds a way to ruin everyone's fun doesn't he. But I promise I'll explain everything in ch. 6. And keep in mind that now Aang's out of the way, I now have the freedom to let my imagination run wild! bwahahaha! please comment!**


	6. Flight of Destiny

**Okay I lied, I'm not going to make this the last chapter. After I was half way through writing it I realized there was no way I would be able to fit the rest in one chapter. I figured that once a chapter exceeds 3,000 words, it's time to find an ending place and start a new one. So you guys still have one more chapter to look forward to.**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Avatar  
**

Appa grunted, temporarily startling Katara out of her day dream. She had been reliving that moment again, and the warmth she felt while it lasted. She sighed and closed her eyes while the cool night breeze ran its icy fingers through her hair as Appa continued to soar through the sky. Although she had spent most of the past year in this saddle flying, the sense of freedom she felt every time Appa took off never got old. Up here, no one could touch her and she was free to ponder whatever she wanted without distraction.

Right now, the thought of going to Zuko's tent struck her as silly. She almost made it and she almost went in, but hesitated and was scared away by the sound Aang's determined footsteps in the distance. She dove into the shadows and hoped Aang did not hear her hasty retreat. He didn't seem to notice and instead went into Zuko's tent. At first she had been annoyed with Aang for destroying her chance, but now internally thanked him. Being up here had given her plenty of time to think it over, and now she realized that she definitely would have regretted going in. She didn't even rehearse what she would have said to him. _I couldn't sleep because I couldn't get you off my mind? _Yes, now she was very happy with her decision not to go in. And to imagine how much worse things would have looked if Aang caught her sneaking into Zuko's tent at night…Katara shook her head to rid herself of the thought.

She didn't mean to hurt Aang, but it just sort of…happened. She also knew that he was probably over reacting. The rushed kiss he gave her before the invasion was evidence enough of that. She closed her eyes. She could still feel the nervousness and rigidity of his kiss. She had never thought of Aang in that way, and ever since then, she had refused to acknowledge that part of Aang for fear of doing something to harm their friendship. Until now…

Aunt Wu said that she would end up with a powerful bender, and for a while she thought that person was Aang. However, she couldn't bring herself to see Aang as more than a friend and began to doubt Aunt Wu's abilities. But then along came Zuko. Zuko, who was closer to her age and much more attractive than Aang, was also a very powerful bender. Katara felt her cheeks grow hot. She couldn't deny that his good looks definitely played a part in this sudden attraction for him.

Katara's face fell and she sighed as another thought occurred to her. She had been hurt once before by an attraction this strong, and she wasn't too eager to put someone in the position to hurt her like that again. What if she allowed this courtship to take place and he…betrayed them again? What if he betrayed _her_ again? Her heart couldn't handle that. After what happened last time, she promised herself that she'd exercise more caution with matters such as these and now was as good a time as any to start. Then why did she feel so disappointed?

Appa grunted again interrupting her thoughts. She noticed the moon for the first time and how far it had sunk since she began her flight. She sighed and grudgingly directed Appa to descend toward the meadow. She had escaped reality for long enough and also felt fatigue pulling at her eyelids. She would not sleep soundly, but at least she would sleep.

Katara cringed when Appa landed with more noise than she would have liked, but after she ascertained that they hadn't disturbed anybody, she hopped off and very carefully began to tip-toe her way back to her tent.

"You have a knack for taking off when no one's looking," said Zuko. Katara gasped as she jumped back bumping into Appa and would have sliced Zuko to ribbons with water if she had any. Thankfully she left her goat skin in her tent. Appa didn't seem to appreciate Zuko's sudden appearance either. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you," he said as he emerged from the shadows and slowly walked towards her.

Unable to speak, Katara took deep breaths and put her hand on her chest in a feeble attempt to calm her racing heart. The truth was it wasn't entirely the sudden scare that had to do with its refusal to slow to a normal rate. "Well you have a knack for sneaking up on people who don't want to be found," she replied after catching her breath.

He smiled and Katara's heart skipped a beat. "You should know that by now. I _did_ hunt you for a year after all." He continued his slow walk in her direction.

"Yeah, thanks for the reminder," she replied a bit coldly. She was becoming increasingly aware of the closing distance between them, though, like before, she found herself frozen to the ground where she stood.

Zuko continued his walk until he stood right in front of Katara with less than a foot separating their faces. Katara forgot how tall he was and found she had to look way up to meet his eyes which, she found, were looking at her in the same way as they were that evening on the beach. She panicked and looked down at her toes. "I uh…I better get to bed now." She had to concentrate on her feet to make them move, and they did although each step took more effort than the last. She was painfully aware of Zuko's eyes on her back.

"I noticed," Zuko said before she had made it five steps, "that you were out flying by yourself."

Katara turned around to meet his eyes. "Yeah? So?" She wondered what he was trying to get at.

"So," Zuko replied while putting a hand on Appa, "it's more fun when you fly with a buddy," and he stretched his arm out toward her in invitation.

Katara looked down and, once again, found her heart refusing to behave. "Zuko I…I don't know." She crossed her arms in an attempt to warm them from the frigid night air.

"Come on," he pleaded, "just a short flight." He still had his arm out stretched. If he was anywhere close to nervous about this as Katara was, his face did not betray it.

Katara still had a bad feeling about this. "Zuko, I just don't think it's…it's a good—"

"Please." That was all he said, and Katara felt her once firm self control crumble. She looked both ways to make sure no one else was around (_like there would be at this time of night_) and quickly stepped up to take Zuko's hand. She allowed him to help her up onto Appa like how she allowed him to lead her out of the cave. The skin contact unexpectedly gave her goose bumps.

Once on Appa, Katara turned to take a seat in the saddle, but Zuko didn't release her hand. She turned to look at him in protest and found a smile on his face. He pulled her to sit with him on Appa's head and she, once again, allowed him to do so. Once seated and making sure Katara was in place, Zuko grabbed the reins. "Yip yip!" and the bison launched himself into the sky. Once again, Katara found herself overwhelmed by a sense of freedom.

While struggling to gain altitude, Appa unexpectedly made a sudden move to the left. Katara gasped and involuntarily grabbed Zuko's arm for support. After realizing what she had just done, she immediately released him. "Sorry." She blushed and looked away.

Zuko couldn't help but smile while he evaluated her reaction but said nothing. He found her embarrassment at touching him adorable. He didn't blame her though. Katara clutching him like that, even for a moment, did strange things to him too. It sent a shiver that started in his arm and then rippled through out his body and he could still feel the warmth on his arm even after she let go. Then he realized that was the most contact they've ever made since their trip together. He suddenly found himself wanting more.

"I didn't know you liked flying so much," she said. Her gaze was fixed on the stars above them which were unusually clear tonight.

Zuko blinked and tore himself from his thoughts. "Uh, I didn't at first, because the first time I flew was on a war balloon when I followed you guys after the invasion. And you can imagine that can unbelievably boring…when you're alone that is." He could feel himself blush and couldn't help but notice that she did a little too. "But over time traveling with you guys, I've learned to enjoy it. The scenery, the refreshing air…" he trailed off. "I never knew you liked it so much either."

She nodded. "No matter how many times I was forced to sit in this saddle for hours at a time," she closed her eyes, "I never get tired of the utter freedom I feel whenever I'm up here." She opened her eyes again. "It feels like you're untouchable," she looked up, "like the stars." She stretched out one arm. "No matter how long and far you fly," she closed her hand, "you can never quite touch them. They aren't governed by expectations or rules…and that's how I feel every time I take off."

Zuko never expected such a deep answer or for her to open up so much to him. He found every word of it to be true. He looked up at the stars as well and believed his feelings about flying were exactly the same. He just didn't know it until then. He loved how she considered everything with such passion. Suddenly he was aware of how close she was and even though they weren't touching, he could feel her all the way along his right side. It was almost as if his skin on that side wanted so badly to make contact, it tingled with anticipation.

Katara pulled her legs up and crossed her arms and appeared to shiver ever so slightly. "Are you cold?" Zuko asked.

She returned his gaze briefly. "I'm fine." She then returned her attention to the sky in front of them. The wind blew her hair over her face and it swirled around her bare shoulders as they flew into the night.

Ignoring her empty reassurance, Zuko lifted his right arm and draped it around her shoulders while using his bending to make that arm warmer than normal body temperature. He still gripped the reins in his left hand.

Katara almost shrugged his arm off, but was surprised at how warm it was and then welcomed it without complaint. His touch on her bare shoulders sent pleasant shivers through her as her body heartily absorbed its heat. Then his hand cupped her far shoulder and pulled her closer. She looked at him in protest only to find that small smile of his she loved so much and again felt her control go out the window. Using her arms, she lifted herself and scooted closer to him so that he could tuck her nice and snug under his arm. She couldn't deny it felt good. His warmth was a pleasant contrast to the cold night air.

"Better?" he asked. They were so close now he said it in her ear and the sensation gave her goose bumps. She nodded and smiled but said nothing.

For what seemed like forever, they sat in silence, neither one wanting to break the spell they were both under. Katara found herself more and more comfortable under his arm and loved the feeling of security as it cradled her shoulders. Zuko loved the role of being able to provide for her, even if it was his body heat she needed. Her frame, he now discovered as he held her, was so small and delicate it made him feel especially protective of her. He knew very well that she didn't need protection. He had the bruises to prove it. But he still knew that if the opportunity came up…if it he had to sacrifice his life in order to save hers…he would do it. The thought of Katara ever being in such danger impulsively made him drop the reins in order to bring his left arm around and use it to squeeze her tighter to him. She adjusted so her body was parallel to his with her arms still scrunched between her chest and his for warmth.

Katara didn't know why Zuko felt the need to embrace her in such a way, but didn't complain. She laid her head against his chest and felt a pressure on her head as Zuko rested his cheek on it. Katara was so relaxed that she felt fatigue tugging on her eye lids once again. She saw no harm in resting them for a while and let them slide closed.

Zuko wanted this moment to last forever. He couldn't remember the last time he held something so warm and so precious to him. He scanned through all his memories and could only pick out one thing that came close to this moment….and that was when he last hugged his mother. Not that he compared Katara to his mother, but the love and the familiarity he felt in this embrace was the same. It was almost as if she belonged in his arms and always had. He just never knew it until now. Fire and water, natural opposites, but predestined to be together all the same.

"Can you feel it?" he asked. He felt her jump ever so slightly and wondered if he had startled her after the prolonged silence.

After dozing off for a second, Katara's mind was confused. "Feel what?" she asked quietly in her fatigue.

Zuko didn't know exactly how to put it in words. He thought for a moment and then found the perfect way so that both would understand. "Freedom…destiny."

Katara closed her eyes once more and nodded feeling his head move as it still rested on top of hers. Zuko's left arm began to rub her back spreading its warmth everywhere it touched. Katara sighed in contentment. She didn't want this moment to end either.

Zuko responded with a sigh of his own and lifted his head. He looked down at the woman he held in his arms nearly asleep against his chest. How he loved her at that moment. He pressed his lips on top of her head for a long moment and then rested his head upon it again while simultaneously giving her a light squeeze.

He felt her body shifting and loosened his grip in order to allow her to do so. She pulled her head out from under his and looked him in the eyes while tucking her arms more snuggly between then. She was still for a long moment just examining his face. "You were right," she said.

Zuko was confused. "About what?" he asked. He raised his good eye brow.

"Flying is more fun when you fly with a buddy." She gave him a toothy grin.

Zuko blew air out his nose in mild laughter and Katara soon copied him. He leaned his head forward so his forehead rested on hers while they both closed their eyes in amusement. When Zuko opened his eyes, he saw Katara's face closer than it had ever been and, once again, his mind went on auto pilot. He removed one arm from her back and brought it around. With two fingers he tilted up her chin forcing her to look him directly in the eyes.

Very slowly, almost painfully slow, Zuko lowered his head until his lips were almost touching hers. His mind finally kicked on and made him second guess whether or not he should do it. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted as Katara made the decision for him. She eagerly closed the remaining distance and their lips met.

Zuko lived an eternity in that moment. He saw his whole life before him and realized just how meaningless it was to him since Katara was not a part of it until now. It felt like he was reborn a new person.

Katara pulled away sooner than Zuko would have liked, and he eagerly closed the gap between their faces once again. Katara then adjusted her position so she could move her arms around his neck and pull him closer still. Zuko wrapped both arms around her back and held her as tight as he knew how without hurting her and held on as if he'd never let go. Kissing her, he felt like a drowning man clinging to her for life.

All too soon, they broke apart both having to catch their breath. They sat there motionless and still holding each other for a long moment. Katara's eyes remained closed until she felt one of Zuko's hands release her back and come to her face. He lifted her chin once again and looked her in the eye. "Do you have any idea how long I've wanted to do that?"

"Since the beach?" she guessed.

"No," he said, "since the first day I ever laid eyes on you…I just didn't know it until now." He glanced at her mouth and once again moved in to take a kiss. He kissed her mouth gently for a long moment, nibbled a few kisses to her bottom lip and then stopped. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her more. ..and more and more, but knew that if he started, he wouldn't be able to stop so instead returned his arms around her back and pulled her to his chest once again. She once again scrunched her arms between their bodies for warmth and nuzzled her head into his chest.

Zuko suddenly realized that he had not been directing Appa where to go this whole time but was pleased to see the bison had been circling the island never the less. Zuko also noticed the sky steadily growing lighter. He looked down at Katara only to discover that she had fallen fast asleep. He smiled and kissed the top of her head again. Very carefully he untangled one arm, grabbed the reins, and directed Appa to land in the meadow.

The landing made Katara stir, but she was still fast asleep. He carefully swept her up in a bridal position and carried her to the ground. As soon as Zuko was off, Appa rolled over on his back and let out a sigh of exhaustion. Zuko had been so distracted that he didn't realize Appa had been flying all night. Zuko pat the bison on the side with his foot (because his arms were occupied). "Thanks, fur ball. I owe you big for this." Appa grunted in response and drifted off to sleep.

As quietly as he could, Zuko carried Katara to her tent. After very awkwardly opening the entrance flap with his foot, he went inside and gently laid her down on her sleeping bag. He looked at her sleeping face one last time before he moved to get up and leave, but Katara grabbed the collar of his tunic stopping him.

Katara was half asleep, but she was awake enough to know that Zuko had carried her there and said something to Appa before he did. Even though she was exhausted, she wasn't ready for this night to end just yet. Very gently she brought her hand up to his face and touched his scar realizing she had done so only once before. Zuko closed his eyes and leaned into her hand while letting out a contented sigh. "Good night, Zuko" she whispered.

Zuko opened his eyes which had a twinkle of amusement in them. He leaned down and gave her a quick peck. After he withdrew, he looked her in the eyes one last time. "Good morning, Katara." Then he left her tent to go retire in his own. Katara caught a glimpse of the sky during his departure and saw the moon started to fade away as the sun started to rise. She had never stayed awake this long. But it was worth every minute. She was asleep as soon as she closed her eyes and felt she had never slept so soundly in her life.

**Phew I'm exhausted. That is officially the longest segment of a story I have ever written. But it was worth it. One chapter to go guys! hang in there!**


	7. A New Beginning

**Here it is guys! The last chapter! *silent scream* And by now I'm convinced that Katara and Zuko are completely out of character, but they're in love, so I figured that was a good enough excuse right? Ok i'll stop boring you guys and let you read. Hope you like it *crosses fingers***

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar...it's sad  
**

Aang sat cross legged on the highest butte overlooking their small camp site. He was high enough so no one could see him without knowing where to look, but low enough so he could still see the goings on far below in detail.

After talking with Zuko, Aang was determined to get some sleep and went to his tent. He maybe got around twenty minutes of quality shut-eye before he was startled awake by the sound of Appa noisily landing in the near-by meadow. He decided not to investigate and instead rolled over to give sleep another try. Then he heard voices: Katara's and Zuko's. He scrunched his eyes shut and tried forcing himself to believe that he didn't care what was being said, but soon realized the effort was futile. Very carefully, he opened a flap of his tent just wide enough to see Zuko standing by Appa and Katara standing several feet away.

Zuko then held his had to her which she took after a few words of meaningless protest. They then climbed up onto the bison and took off. Aang knew something like this would happen eventually, but didn't think it would be this soon. It stung a little to see just how eager Zuko had been to pursue Aang's first love after he had given him permission to do it. But he wasn't helping matters any by spying on them, so he forced himself to close the tent flap and lay down on his sleeping bag.

After far too many failed attempts to go to sleep again, Aang sat upright and rubbed his face with both hands in an attempt to relieve his frustration. Letting go was hard and trying to have a good attitude about it was next to impossible. There was no way he was going to sleep tonight knowing Zuko and Katara were up on his bison doing who knows what. He grabbed his staff and stepped out into the night.

After a quick scan of the sky, he spotted Appa in the distance. At least they didn't decide to elope with his bison. That would have been more than he could handle. Aang shook his head. He knew he was over exaggerating things, but couldn't seem to help himself.

There was a very subtle light in the horizon that hinted that it would soon be morning, so Aang figured that if he wasn't going to sleep any more tonight, he might as well wait out the rest of the night and hope for the best in the morning.

He whipped his staff open and flew up to the highest place possible and now here he was. He had been sitting there for what felt like forever while he waited for Katara and Zuko to return. When they did, he had been expecting to see them embracing each other, but what he didn't expect was the horrible icy feeling that exploded in his gut the moment he saw Zuko with his arms wrapped around her. He sighed deeply. This was going to be even harder than he thought.

"You ok, Twinkle Toes?" came Toph's voice from behind him. He jumped but wasn't overly surprised at her presence. She came and sat beside him once again. "I couldn't help but feel that you were restless all night." She shrugged.

Aang drew in breath to answer her question with 'I'm fine' but stopped himself knowing she would be able to see right through the lie. "I will be," he finally decided to say.

Toph smiled in understanding and put a hand on his shoulder. The knowledge that she was capable of such a gentle and tender gesture surprised Aang. "Don't worry, Aang, it's not the end of the world." She gave his shoulder a light squeeze. "After all, there's plenty of other fish in the sea." Toph felt herself blush a little. "And don't forget that I'm….I'll always be there if you ever need someone…if you need to talk about it."

Aang brought a hand up to his shoulder and placed it on top of Toph's. He turned his head to look at her and squeezed her hand. "I know."

***

Zuko slept more peacefully than he could ever remember sleeping in his life. His unconscious mind took him to beautiful places. A tall crystal water fall, a snowy mountain top surrounded by clouds, and finally flying through the sky on a bright starry night. His mind then wove in sensations and feelings so real, he forgot that he was only dreaming.

He was walking on the sky as if gravity had no hold on him. He felt weightless and completely free. He reached out his hand to touch a star that seemed to be directly in front of him. His hand came in contact with it, and the star changed shape to take the image of Katara. She shone so bright and her beauty was ten times that of any star he had ever seen, he feared he would go blind.

He thought he had never seen eyes so radiant, so welcoming, and so full of love. She stretched out her hand to him, and he eagerly reached for it. When his hand finally made contact, he felt as if a shock of electricity had suddenly shot through his arm.

_Bang!_ Zuko felt his whole body convulse as if he were being electrified. _Bang!_ He felt a sharp pain in his back.

_Bang! _"Rise and shine you sleepy heads!" came Toph's voice from outside. There was another bang, and the ground shook. It took Zuko a moment to realize what was happening and then he groaned in annoyance and stuck his head under his pillow.

"Are you numbskulls listening?" shouted Toph. "I said," she cleared her throat louder than necessary, "rise and SHINE!" As she said 'shine' she used her obnoxious element to then launch Zuko, and probably everyone else still trying to sleep, three feet in the air.

Zuko grumbled as he forced himself to get up and leave the tent, his tired limbs protesting his every movement. As soon as he left the tent, he glared icicles at Toph only to mentally slap himself for remembering she couldn't see his face. "There you go, that wasn't so bad was it," Toph teased. Zuko then noticed that everyone else was standing outside their tent looking like death and rubbing their sore backsides.

Today was the day they had to get moving. The comet was still a ways away, but they still needed to find a hiding place a little deeper in the fire nation. Sokka ascertained this the day before, and so gathered everyone together in a meeting (after they all got over their crabbiness at Toph that is).

They sat in a circle to discuss this matter and Toph sat between Zuko and Katara. In a way, Zuko was thankful for this, otherwise he wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything being said. He still couldn't help but steal the occasional glance in here direction though. He even caught her doing the same thing. After being caught, she would look down and smile with a little hint of color in her cheeks.

The meeting was short. Zuko knew exactly where they could go: his vacation house on Ember Island. His family never went there anymore and it would be the last place they would look for the Avatar, so it was perfect. The rest of the day was then spent packing.

Other than periodically making eye contact and smiling at each other, Katara and Zuko's behavior betrayed nothing of last night's events. There was an unspoken agreement that it was best not to unload everything on the rest of the group at once…especially Sokka who would most defiantly freak out.

They didn't pack the dishes until last because it was nearly lunch time when they had finished packing everything else. Katara caught some fish to fry and Aang went and gathered some wild berries because he didn't eat meat. After enjoying their last meal they would have on that island, Katara gathered the dishes and took them to the spring to wash.

Katara knelt beside the secluded spring and experimented with different water bending techniques as she washed the dishes. She jumped in surprise and dropped her water as warm arms came out of nowhere and slowly slid around her waist pulling her into a warm embrace from behind. At first she was surprised that she hadn't heard his approach, but then realized that this _was_ Zuko she was thinking about after all. Katara sighed as Zuko's head rested on her shoulder. She closed her eyes as she leaned her head against his and brought up a hand to cup his far cheek.

"How are you," he whispered in her ear.

"Well…" she replied, "I was fine until you got here." She felt his arms around her waist suddenly stiffened. Afraid that she offended him, she turned her head to better see his face. He turned his so she could better look him in the eyes. "But now I'm more than fine," she said and couldn't help but smile, "I'm wonderful." She playfully kissed the end of his nose and soon after Zuko quickly moved to press his lips to hers as his arms tightened slightly around her waist. Katara used one hand to cup the back of his head while she placed the other on top of the warm arms locked around her midsection.

The kiss sent tingles up Katara's spine and then throughout her body while it lasted just as the other three had. Also like the other three, it ended too soon. She couldn't imagine herself ever getting tired of kissing Zuko, but knew better than to overdo it, so she didn't encourage him to kiss her again after they broke apart. Instead, she looked forward again and leaned her head against Zuko's as he did the same.

They sat there for a moment before Katara's brain started thinking rationally again. "I really should finish these before the others start to wonder what happened to me."

Zuko loved the way Katara felt against him like this. Her back fit nice and snug against his stomach and he didn't want to let go. He groaned in disappointment and squeezed her tighter to him.

Katara patted his cheek. "I know I know," she said in mock comfort. Only after she patted his arms encircling her waist did he finally force himself to let go with the thought there would be plenty of opportunity to cuddle more in the future.

But he still didn't want to leave her just yet. "I'll help you." For the remainder of their time alone, Katara washed the dishes, and he heated them in order to evaporate the water off them. Katara could have easily dried the dishes herself, but was happy to give Zuko a reason to stay other than just sitting there and watching her work. They had a lot of fun splashing each other and talking about how fun it would be on Ember Island once they got there. Zuko was so lost in conversation, he regretted when the last dish was cleaned and dried.

Katara picked up a pile of dishes signifying the end of their time together. "Time to get back." Zuko nodded, but couldn't smile. He picked up his pile and they walked side by side as they made their way back to camp.

***

After the last bag was secured on Appa's saddle, Aang moved to climb up on his head. "No no you don't! Not yet. Get back down here!" Sokka scolded.

Aang did as he was told, but couldn't hide his confusion. "Why? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Sokka replied, "It's just that we've been on this island for a few weeks, and it's kinda grown on me." He put his arm around Suki's shoulders and gave her a little shake. "Don't you think it's grown a little on you too?"

Suki raised her eyebrows as she looked at her crazy boyfriend. She humored him and awkwardly smiled. "Uh…yeah, sure."

"See? So I think we should all stand together and give her one last look before we fly off," Sokka said with a note of finality.

Everyone groaned and rolled their eyes, but no one was in the mood to fight with him so they lined up as he requested. Sokka looked down the line and took attendance before he began his speech. "Here's to the island that blessed us with no trouble from the fire nation soldiers during our stay. Here's to the island that gave us some of our more pleasant recent memories." Zuko and Katara looked at each other and smiled before blushing and returning their gaze back to the island. Sokka continued."Here's to the island that helped make our friendship stronger." At the end of his speech he grabbed Zuko and Suki on either side of him and pulled them closer in an awkward side hug while wearing a cheesy grin. Zuko quickly wriggled out of it and pushed Sokka away making Katara giggled. Aang grabbed Toph's hand and gave it a light squeeze. Toph smiled and returned the gesture.

"Well said, Sokka!" said Toph with a hint of sarcasm. "_Now_ can we leave?"

Sokka's smile instantly vanished and transformed into mock disappointment. "Yes," he said bluntly.

Together, the gang climbed onto Appa and each took their place in the saddle while Aang took his on Appa's head. Appa launched himself into the sky and Katara automatically leaned against Zuko and rested her head on his shoulder while Zuko gently cradled her under his arm. Sokka and Suki were too busy cuddling to notice them doing the same, so Katara allowed herself to be held.

And so they made their way to Ember Island where they would have a fresh start. But it was more than that. It was a fresh start for Katara and Zuko. There they could start over and get to know each other as soul mates instead of enemies. Whoever would have thought that a prince of the fire nation and the only water bender of the South Pole would fall in love? Whoever would have thought that natural opposites and sworn enemies would be so well suited for each other? This was a new beginning…for them and, when the war finally came to an end, for the world.

**THE END!**

** Ah finally! To be honest, when I started this story I had the skeleton of the plot, but I didn't realize just how draining adding all the meaty bulk would be. This is where I stress just how important your reviews are to me and to every author on here! You guys kept me going and it's all thanks to you that I was able to summon the energy to finish this story. Here's a little tip for the future. The next time you read a story that you like, don't hesitate to tell the author how much you liked it because you can't imagine the difference it makes to know that someone likes what you're writing. It could mean the difference between a finished story with a happy ending and a cliff hanger that people start to write and forget about.**

**In conclusion, thank you for reading, and may God bless all of you guys who reviewed and kept me going.  
**


	8. Coming Soon

**Hi everyone! I apologize to all you subscribers if you got e-mail about a chapter eight to my story and you got all excited for more. I'm sorry if you're disappointed, but I just thought that instead of replying to all the reviews, I'd just use this instead.**

**Well I've gotten a few requests to continue writing "Flight of Destiny" and I got several requesting that I write new stories. If you want to know more about Katara and Zuko's life on ember island, I may or may not continue the story. I'll probably call it a whole different story and let everyone know in the summary that it's the sequel to "Flight of Destiny" but that day is probably farther away than you may like.**

**However! Just so you guys know that I haven't forgotten about you I thought it only fair to inform you that I have started writing another story. I'm not sure how long it will take because I've been really pressed for time lately with work, college, and overall grown up stuff that no one likes but I hope to have the first chapter posted within a week, probably less. I still haven't figured out what I'm going to call the story, but for all you Zutara fans out there, I regret to inform you that it is not a Zutara story. It's a Zuko/Jin story...Zin or Juko or however you say it...I thought I'd mix my writing up a bit instead of writing just Zutara stories ya know? But I still plan on putting in detail and sensory images equal to if not better than "Flight of Destiny" so I hope you won't be too disappointed.**

**Well that's about all I have to say to you guys other than how much I appreciate your lovely reviews** **and how much** **I love getting e-mails from fanfiction saying that someone reviewed my story**. **It's one of those things that puts a smile of my face even though I'm having a rough day. I know that I'm prone to repeating myself, but again, THANK YOU sooo much for your reviews!**


	9. Reply to an Anonymous Review

**This is for one of my anonymous reviewers by the name of lydia mitchell**. **Since you either have no account or don't feel like signing in, this is the only way I can reply to your persistent reviews.**

** I appreciate your encouragement and I find it flattering, but I'm afraid I don't have the free time to add to this story at the present. I may add to it later if that's what you really want, but right now I'm barely half way through my second story and I have difficulty finding the free time for that one as it is. I would prefer to finish it before I consider continuing Flight of Destiny. But if you like my style of writing that much, you can feast your eyes on my current project if you want. It's a Jinko story that I've named Hope Floats. I might change that title later on because it doesn't really fit with the plot that's unfolding, but you can look it up if you want. **

**If you get this message, lydia mitchell, may I suggest that for future communication between us, you sign up for an account on FFN? I'm just saying it would be much easier to send you private messages than adding a new chapter every time you beg me for more Zutara. Thank you so much for your reviews though! It's people like you who keep me going when writer's block threatens to take over.**

**As for anyone else who reads this. Thanks for reading! I hope my work pleases you too.**

**kah-jeer-stin  
**


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